Henderson was a pianist and excellent arranger who wrote most of the musical arrangements that helped launch the success of Benny Goodmans orchestra. One of the most common forms used in jazz Swing as popular music usually had vocals, such as Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," and was intended for dancing. From the late 1930s through the 1950s, Duke Ellington was one of the premier swing band leaders in America. From Sometimes bandstands were too small, public address systems inadequate, pianos out of tune. IMPORTANT MUSICIANS: Louis Armstrong (cornet/trumpet), Bix Beiderbecke (cornet), Jelly Roll Morton (piano/composer), Sidney Bechet (soprano sax, clarinet), Earl "Fatha" Hines (piano) Swing/Big Band Era (1930-1945) [3] They incorporated elements of Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, ragtime, and vaudeville. New York in the late 1920s. BASIE popularized "pure" jazz through a "Big Band" The manner in which theyre utilized often depends on the particular composition of the song being played. - ensemble intimate style of Dixieland jazz into a harder-edged full band sound. Singers Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald came to the popular forefront during the swing era. The saxophone features a curved reed mouthpiece and a long brass tube that gradually expands before doubling back and bellowing outwards. California. Very important to the development of the Swing Bands were the role of the composer/arranger and the excellent stylizations of musicians. Instead of just embellishing the melody, he created a whole new melody based on the songs harmony by arpeggiating the chords and adding further chord alterations and substitutions to make his solo more complex. The band severed ties with the school in 1941 to claim professional status. such works incorporate certain elements of the jazz tradition, there is not even In Kansas City, Bennie Motens and Count Basies bands had begun developing a looser type of big band arrangement that allowed for freer styles of soloing, giving rise to a unique Kansas City swing style in the 1930s. In 1919, Paul Whiteman hired Grof to use similar techniques for his band. "walking bass" accompaniment, - Harmony One Oclock Jump: The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils. virtuosity. Many musical styles contributed to its birth. Charlie PARKER and Dizzy - Charlie Parkers album South of the Border illustrated the influence of this genre on a bop artist, and the Tokyo Cuban Boys, an Afro-Cuban band dating from the postWorld War II years, exemplified the musics international appeal. Hendersons arrangements used tighter harmonic control, less emphasis on improvisation, and a controlled use of polyphony. The style features prominent horn riffs, call and response between the brass and reed sections, and a consistent rhythmic drive derived from walking and/or boogie-woogie-type bass lines. Duke Ellington (18991974) proved that orchestrating jazz was an art of the highest level. [21] Bandleaders are typically performers who assemble musicians to form an ensemble of various sizes, select or create material for them, shape the musics dynamics, phrasing, and expression in rehearsals, and lead the group in performance often while playing alongside them. In the mid-1930s and early 1940s, (Change the second verb to the future progressive form.). Kansas City, in particular, became a wide-open town totally ingrained in the entertainment business. A. Rolfe, Anna Mae Winburn, and Ina Ray Hutton.[35]. The embellishments gradually became more adventurous, but they were generally always played with the melody in mind. The trumpet section included four trumpets; the first was responsible for the highest notes. In the 1960s and 1970s, big band rock became popular by integrating such musical ingredients as progressive rock experimentation, jazz fusion, and the horn choirs often used in blues and soul music, with some of the most prominent groups including Chicago; Blood, Sweat and Tears; Tower of Power; and, from Canada, Lighthouse. Other female bands were led by trumpeter B. Trumpets provide a brash buzzing sound thats well suited for a melody. White teenagers and young adults were the principal fans of the big bands in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Transcontinental trips often required a stop in one of these cities. The genre was gradually absorbed into mainstream pop rock and the jazz rock sector.[45]. The latter included blues, ballads, novelty songs, and Broadway tunes. and His Mother Called Him Bill, featured "Blood Count" and "Lotus Blossom," was a tribute album to . While bassists can use a bow to vibrate the strings, swing band bassists will frequently pluck the strings instead. A distinction is often made between so-called "hard bands", such as those of Count Basie and Tommy Dorsey, which emphasized quick hard-driving jump tunes, and "sweet bands", such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Shep Fields Rippling Rhythm Orchestra,[41][42]. : The rhythmic phenomenon of "swing" feeling is Fueled by the non-stop nightlife under political boss Tom Pendergast, Kansas City jam sessions went on well beyond sunrise, fostering a highly competitive atmosphere and a unique music culture, attracting many bands from the Southwest known as territory bands, such as Bennie Motens orchestra and the Oklahoma City Blue Devils. Since 1960, several newer types until you reach They had the Blue Devils. As jazz was expanded during the 1950s through the 1970s, the Basie and Ellington bands were still around, as were bands led by Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Earl Hines, Les Brown, Clark Terry, and Doc Severinsen. Ella Fitzgerald, the featured vocalist of Chick Webbs Orchestra during the late 1930s, is considered to be one of the most outstanding singers of the swing era. In New Orleans, black Coast" Cool Jazz emerged, using Other renowned vocalists are blues singers Jimmy Rushing with You Can Depend on Me and Joe Williamss Roll Em Pete, featured with the Count Basie Orchestra, whose repertoire included ballads, jazz and pop standards. A unique feature of this style was the use of riffs performed as call and response between woodwinds and brass as an integral part of the arrangement heard in Bennie Motens Moten Swing (1932) and Count Basies One OClock Jump (1937). New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. Vocalists began to strike out on their own. A ballad is a simple song, usually romantic in nature, and uses the same melody for each stanza. In the mid-1930s and early 1940s, Modern big bands can be found playing all styles of jazz music. Young, who also studied violin, trumpet and drums, displayed an excellent sense of melody in his lyrical soloing. an improvisation: melody, harmony, and form. performers such Louis ARMSTRONG completed the transition from Swing Shift: All Girl Bands of the 1940s. (As told to Albert Murray). Yet, as woodwind-style instruments, they also feature a wide range of available notes and pitches. The History of Jazz. Bandleader Charlie Barnet's recording of "Cherokee" in 1942 and "The Moose" in 1943 have been called the beginning of the bop era. Armstrong (nicknamed (optional) Select some text on the page (or do this before you open the "Notes" drawer). Unlike the concert band, the lead players should never be seated on the end of the section. The term "big band" is also used to describe a genre of music, although this was not the only style of music played by big bands. While the trumpet is commonly featured in a swing band, a saxophone is also often used to enhance melodies. saxophonist Gerry MULLIGAN (of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet Playing multiple riffs playing at once as a kind of call and response. art form--a unique blending of West African and Western European/American The Glenn Miller band was one of the most popular bands of the Swing Era. NY: Penguin Books:1977. A versatile instrument, the saxophone is swing musics version of the Holy Trinity (celery, bell peppers and onions) used in Gumbo. Whiteman started his first band in San Francisco in 1918 and his fame spread into the 1920s. Whiteman was educated in classical music, and he called his new band's music symphonic jazz. exemplifies many of the most innovative aspects of this new jazz style: (1) It From The score indicated a fixed number of measures for solo improvisation and also musical notations with the desired sounds and effects. The swing era was the one time that jazz was a truly popular style. In the early 1970s, Miles Davis began exploring BERNSTEIN also incorporated Cool In contrast to the typical jazz emphasis on improvisation, big bands relied on written compositions and arrangements. intricate fast rhythms and tremendous The most prominent features of big band swing were the use of written arrangements and improvised solos, repetitive horn riffs, call and response between the brass and reed sections, and a rhythmic drive derived from walking and/or boogie-woogie type bass lines. Byron Almen, Dorothy Payne, Stefan Kostka. The trumpet section included four trumpets; the first was responsible for the highest notes. Special thanks to Dr. Portia K. Maultsby and to the Advisory Scholars for their commitment and thought-provoking contributions to this resource. Louis Blues, but by the late 1930s, with the migration of Cubans and Puerto Ricans to New York City, Afro-Cuban music emerged along with new dances, such as the rhumba. The Glenn Miller Band worked the best jobs and recorded often. The term "big band" is also used to describe a genre of music, although this was not the . Some of the Piano techniques employed during the Swing Era were: A good example of this is the Count Basie song Kansas City Keys. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and contains saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. [1], Duke Ellington led his band at the Cotton Club in Harlem. Cool Jazz So band leaders used various arrangement techniques to keep the song interesting, such as: Tutti (all horns playing a melodic line in harmony), Soli (one section featured playing a melodic line in harmony), Shout Chorus (climatic tutti section at the end of the arrangement), Riffs (repeated short melodic and/or rhythmic pattern), Call and Response Riffs (often between the horns and the rhythm section), Solos (single person improvising usually behind a relatively simple harmonic background), Swing Music was smooth, easy-listening and simple. [6] The legendary Paul Whiteman also featured a solo accordion in his ensemble. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm became known for its strong riffing brass section, heavy percussion, rhythmic sensibility, and dynamic blues playing heard in Jump Children.. - The ANDREWS SISTERS: The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy This form maintains the same chord Ellington allowed individuals to retain their own identities and to expand and explore their own directions. As purely instrumental jazz harmony, structure and instrumentation. who specialized in less improvised tunes with more emphasis on sentimentality, featuring somewhat slower-paced, often heart-felt songs.[43]. Glenn Miller (19041944) was a brilliant arranger, an outstanding businessman, and a fine trombone player. hb```. @1&$3.YTyfx.=**hE+f|5SSz/=n/ 20th-century popular music and culture. Yes drums are like the Roux or Fil in Gumbo. of the United States between 1920 and 1970. During the next decades, ballrooms filled with people doing the jitterbug and Lindy Hop. Sweet Swing (people like Glenn Miller) had less improvisation, was a bit slower, restrained with a slight swing feel, and was for the white upper class dinner parties. Then, during the Swing Era, the sax player Coleman Hawkins changed the way jazz approached improvisation from melody to harmony (horizontal to vertical). Daniels, Douglas. While all my lessons are free, if you find them useful please consider donating to help keep them coming. baritone saxophone. syllables). a vocalist with piano or a small backup group. Da Capo Reprint Paperback, 1973. "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" - Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald, It Dont Mean a Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing),, Kansas City was the swingingest sound in the world. Figure 2: Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis Hot Swing (people like Duke Ellington) was more daring, experimental, faster, with longer improvisations, stronger rhythmic drive, and a rough blues feeling. They can be used to produce a melody or harmony for nearly every musical style. Company B, was popularized through records and film by The Andrews Sisters during World War piece several times, but the most famous is from 1942, with the following grooves, click His music was a combination of solo and ensemble playing. All Jazz styles have two common features: - of Company B (1941). "8-to-the-bar" rhythmic structure: (LONG-short-LONG-short-LONG-short-LONG-short), 1 2 New York was an important geographic area for the developments leading toward the swing style of jazz. A large string instrument with an extremely low pitch, the Double Bass is a staple of most swing bands. tenor saxophone. Short, repeated refrains or phrases, or riffs, are common in jazz. With the exception of Jelly Roll Morton, who continued playing in the New Orleans style, bandleaders paid attention to the demand for dance music and created their own big bands.